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For a 12" guy Id keep decor minimal...a Fancy Plants giant plant is a must tho Os love to maul plants and these are the only fake plants that can take the abuse and still look good. Mine loved to play attack the fake plant. Large Os dont really need much in terms of decor...they are bold fish that as long as they have 1 place they feel they can hide...will be fine. Lighting is also not crucial...keep the lights on when you want to watch your fish. I would think about some moonlights as Os are very prone to spooking at night and injuring themselves by thrashing around the tank. Just a bit of light that they can see nothing is going to get them is sufficient.

Had my first "spook" today. I guess it was the sudden light that spooked Jake. I turned the lights on to come down into the basement and after a few seconds I heard a lot of thrashing and splashing in the tank. It looks like he banged the area under his mouth up pretty good. He has been lethargic and not eating today at all. I hope he heals up and gathers himself soon. I hope he didn't permanantly injure himself.

Sorry to hear...Im sure he will be fine. My old male oscar spooked and thrashed around to the point he knocked himself somewhat unconcious and couldnt keep upright for a few days. I blocked off part of the tank and put him in it for a few days so he could recover. Took a couple of weeks for all the wounds to heal and him to return to normal...his "nose" was the only residual damage it was always a bit more flat looking than it should have been. Oscars are tough fish, but some lighting on their tank at all times is a must IMO.

A variety of food is best. Algae waffers are fine. Frozen blood worms,and shrimp are good too. Just toss a frozen cube in.Your O will inhale it. Freeze dried krill,shrimp pellets,cichlid sticks, are all things you can feed too.

If he has cut himself,get some stress coat to add to the tank. This will help him heal.

Thanks for the tips. The oscar gets freeze dried krill, frozen brine shrimp, tubifex worm cubes, hikari staple pellets, cory wafers, meal worms. Basically everything. I have not gotten the moonlights yet. I rarely ever have a day off and the days I do water changes are really all I can finish along with other plans I have. One day....

The oscar has not spooked recently. He's getting more comfortable with this setup so I think that has helped.

So today my oscar knocked one of the lids right off the tank. I guess he is wanting more food? Trying to get to the food source? Any else deal with this? He is big and strong so I might need something that I can sit on the lids that will be too heavy for him to knock off, yet won't break the glass of the tank if he manages to knock it off.